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THE OLD BARRACKS, 



TRENTON, NEW JERSEY. 



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THE OLD BARRACKS, 



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TRENTON, NEW JERSEY. 



Read before the New Jersey Historical Society, at their 
Meeting at Trenton, January 20, 1S81, 

BY 

WILLIAM sf STRYKER, 

ADJUTANT GENERAL OF NEW JERSEY. 



TRENTON, N. J. 
Naar, Day & Naar, Book and Job Printers. 



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The Old Barracks at Trenton. 




During the years 1755, 1756 and 1757 the inhabitants of 
the Province of New Jerse}^ were in a state of constant ap- 
prehension of an attack by hostile Indians. The reports 
which reached them from the mountain districts of Penn- 
sylvania of the atrocious cruelties of savages produced the 
most intense anxiety among the industrious farmers of New 
Jersey. The movements of French troops, with their In- 
dian allies, contributed at various times to the distressing 
fear which pervaded the entire colony. This feeling was 
somewhat allayed whenever any large body of British sol- 
diers passed through the Province, or were stationed for any 
period in their midst, or in the neighboring colony on the 
west of the Delaware River. 

Among the military records of this State we find many 
items of peculiarly local interest in reference to the billet- 
ing of English troops for lodging and subsistence on the 



4 The Old Barracks at Trenton, New Jersey. 

inhabitants of Trenton. During the year 1757 and the 
early part of the following year John Allen had entire 
charge of this business in the village. He was a brother 
of Isaac Allen, a prominent lawyer in Trenton at the begin- 
ning of the Revolutionary War, who became Lieutenant 
Colonel of the Second Battalion of New Jersey Volunteers, 
General Skinner's command of Loyalists. In October, 1758, 
John Allen received from Samuel Smyth, Esq., Treasurer 
of the Province, £999, s. 16, p. 11, on account of monies paid 
to one hundred and twenty-four persons in Trenton for 
quartering soldiers. These persons seem to have been paid 
two shilling and five pence per week for each soldier. This 
mode of lodging became very annoying to the people of the 
State; the habits and the morals of the soldiers were not 
always such as they desired, and the whole system became 
exceedingly hard to endure. The near approach at times 
of the stealthy foe, the letters which were received in Tren- 
ton giving notice of the murder of men in Sussex county 
by the savages, made the people think some permanent 
arrangement should be made for their future protection. 

The fears of the inhabitants of Trenton of incursions of 
the Indians first found expression in the winter of 1757, by 
a petition to the General Assembly of the Province. There 
are thirty-nine petitions of a similar character on file in the 
military records of the State. The names of the signers of 
these documents are particularly interesting to the citizens 
of Trenton, as the descendants of many of these men still 
reside in this city. 



To the Honourable the House of Representatives of the Province of New 
Jersey in Generall Assembly now Met and Sitting at the City of Burlingtonj 
in the county of Burlington, in the Western Division of the said Province. 

The Petition of the Magistrates, Freeholders and Inhabitants of the Town 



The Old Barracks at Trenton, New Jersey. 



of Trenton and other places adjacent in the County of Hunterdon, in the s'd 
Province, 

Humbly Sheweth 

That altho we your Petitioners do with truly Loyal and gratefull Hearts 
acknowledge how much we Owe to our Most Gracious Sovereign, and his 
Parliament, for furnisiiing us with repeated supplys of Troops at this Critical! 
Juncture of Aflairs when our all is threatened and endangered by our Invet- 
erate and Potent Enemy, in Conjunction witii surrounding nations of Cruel 
and deceitfuU Savages. And altho we are chearfully willing to exert the 
utmost of our power to render these his Majesties Troops perfectly usefull, and 
to answer the just end for which they were designed, in proportion to the 
number thatsiiall from time to time fall to our share to support: Yet such is 
the Scituation of Trenton being so great a thoroughfare, and consequently so 
many soldiers continually passing and repassing upon their Severall Com- 
mands, and Quartered upon us Night and day, that unless by the Assistance 
of this Honourable House we can by some wholsome Law and legal Remedy 
be eased of this present Distress, the Country will be no longer able to bear 
the Burden, nor the Officers have it in their Power to keep their stragling 
Soldiers under due Command and Subjection. 

We siiall not take upon us to dictate to this Honourable House what should 
be the method of this Remedy, but hope we may presume to offer our Senti- 
ments, that if we could be provided with convenient Barracks it would answer 
all ends both as to the conveniency and safety that would redound to the 
Troops, as well as the great ease and advantage it would be to the Subject. 

We therefore your Petitioners Humbly request that this Honourable House 
would speedily take it into Consideration and enable us to erect and Build 
such sufficient and Convenient Barracks for the purposes aforesaid or to give 
us such other adequate Remedy, in such Measure, and with such Power & 
Authority, and with such Clauses, Proviso's and restrictions as to this Hon- 
ourable House, in their Wisdom shall think meet and fitt. 

And your Petitioners as in duty Bound shall ever Pray &c. 

Clotworthy Reed (The Stile Except'd), Jos. Higbee, Theo. Severns, W. 
Mcrris, Hezekiah Howell, Wm. Cleayton, Thomas Moore, Charles Axford, 
jun'r. (the stile excepted), Moore Furman, William Ball, John Chambers, 
George Davies, Alex. Anderson, John Rickey, Wm. Yard, Thomas Williams, 
James Cumine, Jethro Yard, Daniel Bealergeau, William Ely, Obadiah How- 
ell, Jos. Phillips, Andrew Reed, Thomas Coalman, Benj. Biles, Chas; Pettit, 
Edman Beakes, J. Warrell, Jno. Barnes, William Dougless, Samuel Tucker, 
Jun., Neal Leviston, James Rutherford, Jos. De Cou, Rob't Rutherford, Sam'l 
Tucker, George Davies, Rob't Scarfl", Michael Houdin, George Tucker, Gideon 
Bickordike, Edward Paxton, John Yard, Josiah Appleton, Alex. Chambers, 
Thos. Barne.s, Willson Hunt, John Vancleave, Vincent Runyan, Aza'h Hunt, 
Hezekiah Stout, James Stout, David Price, Jonathan Furman, John Ander- 
son, A bra. Cottnam, Richard Hoff. 

Again, in February, 175G, the iniiabitants of the county 



6 The Old Barracks at Trenton, New Jersey. 

of Hunterdon addressed a petition to Governor Belcher on 
the same subject : 

To His Excellency, Jonathan Belcher Esq., Captain General and Governor 
in Chief in and over his Majesty's Province of New Jersey and Territories 
thereon depending in America, Chancellor and Vice Admiral in the same &c 
in Council 

The Petition of the Inhabitants of the Several Townships in the County of 
Hunterdon in the said Province of New Jersey Humbly Sheweth : 

That Whereas the most inhuman Barbarities committed by the Indians, a 
Savage Enemy, and their attempt upon the Christian People attended with 
Success, have depopulated, distress'd and laid waste the back inhabitants of 
some of our neighbouring Provinces (but more especially that of Pennsylva- 
nia) have given us too much Reason to Suspect & fear that they will make an 
inroad upon the Frontiers of our Province and soon penetrate into the Verry 
Body of the same, who, if not protected we see no remedy left to secure our- 
selves from being made a sacrifice to their Blood thirsty Wills, when nothing 
but Sword, fire and famine must be the Event. We first beg leave to return 
our Hearty thanks to the Legislature of this his Majesty's Province, who 
have been pleased lately to Pass a Law in order to fortily, and make provi- 
sion for the frontiers of it, which when carried into execution may be of ser- 
vice to some parts; but from the opinion of the best Judges, cannot prevent 
the Enemy's invading us on other parts, or protect the whole. In order there- 
fore if possible to prevent or put a stop to their inroads, we are not apprehen- 
sive of an}' other means than to repell force by force and God prospering our 
endeavours we might be able to extirpate them and disappoint the Councells 
of the Faithless French. And that your Excell'y with the other branches of 
the Legislature may not be disappointed of a proper to carr}' any 

scheme into execution that may be thought necessary & effectual to defeat the 
Wicked and most barbarous designs of such Traiterous Enemies, we have no 
reason to doubt (but are fully persuaded) the Inhabitants of this Province 
(upon mature Consideration of the Calamitous times that now Subsist in and 
are impending over ours and the Neighbouring Provinces, being Calulated 
against our lives, Estates, and Priviledges, Civil and Religious) will chear- 
fully and without any Hesitation Contribute a competent proportion of their 
Estates for so laudable a purpose. 

We therefore your petitioners do in humble manner pray ! that your Ex- 
cellency will be pleased to take the truly deplorable and distress'd condition 
of the inhabitants of this province under your mature and Judicious Con- 
sideration and that your Excellency will endeavour to bring about a Speedy 
Conjunction with the Neighbouring Province of Pennsylvania, and all other 
such ways and means as shall be thought just & Necessary, on this Emergent 
Occasion. 

And Your Petitioners as in duty bound shall ever Pray. 

Grand Jurors. 
Saml. Stout, Stephen Johnes, John Hart, John Bainbridge, Samuel Hunt, 



The Old Barracks at Trenton, New Jersey. 7 

Joseph Pearson, John Wilson, Daniel Howell, Joseph Moore, Tunis Quick, 
Samuel Hart, Jacob Sutphen, Thos. Cain, Josiah Hart, Henry Ringo, Samuel 
Hunt, Philip Robarts. Jonathan Stout, Benj. Merrell, Ciias. Clark, John Gar- 
rison, Andrew Reed, Theo. Severns, Benj. Bibs, Wm. Cleayton, J. Warrell, 
John Burroughs, Thomas Roberts, Dan. Coxe, David Cowell, John Woolsey, 
Jona. Dodd, Jno. Allen, Sam'l Henry, Jasper Smith, Abia Cottnam, Will. 
Pidgeon, Enoch Anderson, R. L. Hooper, John Hackett, Moore Furman, 
Josiah Furman, Ralph Norton, Rob't Rutherford, Sam'l Tucker, jr., George 
Tucker, Joseph Price, James Rutherford, Jos. Higbee, Ralph Akers, 
John Cuming, Edward Broadfield, Richard Phillips, Alexander Cadmus, 
Josiah Furman, jr., Benjamin Everitt, Robert Guthrey, James Bell, George 
Davies, Benjamin Robinson, Josiah Rogers, Andrew Smith, John Hart, Isaac 
Eaton, Jos. Stout, Wm. Bryant, Joseph Scudder, Edward Hunt, Timothy 
Hunt, Joseph Brown, Stephen Field, Thos. Kenned}', John Bates, Jr., Corn. 
Ringo, Daniel Bealergeau, Samuel Hardin, Adam Henry, Nicolas Alberson, 
Jacob Laron, Ralph Smith, Joseph Tindall, Wilson Hunt, Andrew Martin, 
Clotworthy Reed, Thomas Pursley, Benj. Yard, Alex. Chambers, Michael 
Houdin, James Cumine, Neil Livingston, Samuel Hooper, Jun., Charle.s 
Axford, Joseph Tucker, Will. Ball, John Chambers, Jona. Stout, Samuel 
Stout, junior, Benjamin Cornell, Samuel Price, Samuel Smith, Sam'l Moore, 
James French, Philip Titus, Stephen Humphrey's, John Marselis, Thos. 
Hooten, Hezekiah Howell, Thomas Moore, .John Dagworthy, Jno. Holden, 
Daniel Clark, Richard Howell, Jacob Bright, William Yard, William Ely, 
John Rickey, Edward Paxton, Job Sayers, Maurice Justice, Jos. Montgomery, 
Thos. Barnes, Daniel Temple, Joseph Jones Andrew Foster, Thomas Hough- 
ton, Jonathan Furman, Henry Woolsey, Thos. Craven, Andrew Muirheid, 
Joseph Woolsey, Moses Morgan, Nehemiah Howell, Benj. Temple, John 
Bainbridge, Patt'k Kelle, Benjamin Ketcham, Patt'k O'Sharky, Henry Hen- 
drickson, Daniel Hunt, Daniel Connor, Jonas Wood, James Price. 

The inhabitants of the county of Hunterdon also sent a 
petition to the General Assembly of the Province respect- 
ing the raising of troops in the uncertain state of the 
country : 

To the Hon'ble The Representatives for the Colony of New Jersey in Gen- 
eral As.sembly conven'd. The Petition of the Freeholders and Inhabitants of 
the County of Hunterdon in Behalf of themselves and the rest of the Free- 
holders and Inhabitants of the said County. Humbly showeth : 

That, as the French and Indians in their Alliance have now beyond all 
Doubt made several Encroachments on his Majesty's Territories of Virginia 
and Pennsylvania, and erected sundry Forts there in direct Violation of the 
most solemn Treaties and have committed many Hostilities against his Maj- 
esty's Subjects, sent from Virginia to prevent and impede any further Inso- 
lence and Depredations, it h impossible to know what Bounds and Limits so 



8 The Old Barracks at Trenton, New Jkrsey. 

treacherous, perfidious and (which is still more shocking and terrible) so near 
a Neighbour may not presume to prescribe, even to his Majesty's good Subjects 
of New Jersey. 

And, as we have the sincerest Attachment to and gratefiill Zeal for our 
most sacred Sovereign's Honour and Glory, whose paternal Care for his dis- 
tant Subjects has (among the rest) been uninterruptedly felt by us during his 
glorious and auspicious Keign, We hope the Honourable House will be 
pleased not only to reflect what is due to the best of Kings, but also what is 
owing to Yourselves, your Constituents, and to your and their Wives and 
Families. 

Therefore, we humbly pray this Honourable House will be pleased to pass 
such Bill or Bills as will be quite effectual to answer his Majesty's Pleasure 
and convince the neighboring Colonies that we are well disposed and inclined 
to carry on the common Cause. 

And your Petitioners shall ever pray. 

Wm. Clayton, Theo Severns, Chas. Clark, Andrew Reed, Ralph Norton, 
James Rutherford, Aaron Seyoe, John Laurence, Harman Rosekrans, Joseph 
Reed, Charles Hoff, Jun'r, George Tucker, Heny Inglehart, John Bates, 
Peter Hankinson, John Cuming, Joseph Phillips, Abraham Anderson, Ralph 
Jones, Benj. Temple, Samuel Smith, Neil Livingston, William Ely, John 
Chambers, William Carter, Arthur Howell, Eden Merseilles, John Price, 
Hendrick Lake, Joseph Brissin, William Yard, Philip Titus, John Seidmore, 
Benj. Biles, William Douglass. Benj. Yard, Alex'r Chambers, George Davies, 
Sam'l Dunbar, William Brown, .James Bell, James Cumine, Edward Paxton, 
David Bellerjeau, John Marseilles, Hezekiah Howell, Charles Axford, Robert 
Spencer, J. Warrel, Dan. Coxe, David Cowell, Thos. Kennedy, Abra. Cott- 
man, Jos. Higbee, Sam'l Tucker, Jun'r, Rob't Rutherford, Will. Pidgeon, 
Jno. Allen, Sam'l Henry, Will'm Coxe, R. L. Hooper, Moore Furraan, Rob't 
Hart, Richard Green, George Green, Noah Wills, And'w McCrery. Tira'y 
Smith, .James Price, Samuel Hunt, Isaac Cooper, Zebulon Stout, Josiah Fur- 
man, John Evins, Edmond Hering, Jacob Bright, John Burroughs, Jacob 
Blackwell, Thos. Sackelt, Edmond Palmer, John Vancleave, Jo.seph Tindall, 
Jacob Carle, Obadiah Howell, Daniel Clark, .Jonathan Furman, Stephen Rose, 
Dan'l Laning, Benjamin Hart, Samuel Hart, Stephen Laning, Richard How- 
ell, Benjamin Moore, Benjamin Clark, John East, Isaac Green, John Burt, 
David Howell, jun'r, George Miliner, James Merseilles, John Davi.s, John 
Lyne, John Yard, Christopher Howell, Jun'r, Isaac Howell, Benjamin Holdin, 
John Tucker, Benjamin Reed, William Burrows, Edward Broadfield, Will. 
Ball, Richard Furman, Richard Laning, And'w Oliver. 

But it was net until the 15th day of April, 1758, when a 
law was passed by the Council and General Assembly to 
provide for the erection of barracks : 



The Old Barracks at Trenton, New Jersey. 9 



An Act for building of Barracks within tliis Colony, and for other purposes 
therein mentioned. 

Whereas it is found by experience that the admitting soldiers within private 
Houses in this Colony, during their winter Quarters is not only attended wilh 
a very heavy publick expence, but many other pernicious consequences to pri- 
vate Families, for prevention whereof for the future, 

Be it enacted by the Honourable John Reading, Esq., President and Com- 
mander in Chief of this Colony, the Council and General Assembly and it is 
hereby Enacted by the Authority of the same, that it shall and may be lawful 
for the Treasurers of this Colony, out of any Money now in their Hands, 
made current for the service of the present war, or out of such Money as may 
come into their Hands, by virtue of an Act of Assembly pass'd this Session, 
entitled An Act for augmenting the Regiment of this Colony of New Jersey 
to the number of One Thousand effective Men, Officers included, and making 
provisions for the same to pay unto Hugh Hartshorn, Thomas Scattergood, 
William Skeels, John Allen, Joseph Yard, Theophilus Severns, Reuben 
Runion, Henry Fisher, Joseph Mount, Samuel Nevill, Tliomas Barton, John 
Smyth, Robert Ogden, Cornelius Hatfield and Jacob Dehart, Esq'rs or any 
two of them such sum or sums of Money, as they, or any two of them, may 
think necessary for erecting and building Barracks sufficient to contain three 
hundred Men, at each of the respective places of Burlington, Trenton, Perth 
Amboy, New Brunswick and Elizabeth-Town, which Barracks they are to 
build according to their discretion, as soon as may be, in the best and most 
substantial, most commodious and frugal Manner they are capable of, together 
with the necessary Conveniences thereunto belonging. 

And be it further enacted by the Authority aforesaid, that the said Hugh 
Hartshorn, Thomas Scattergood, William Skeels, John Allen, Joseph Yard, 
Theophilus Severns, Reuben Runion, Henry Fisher, Joseph Mount, Samuel 
Nevill, Thomas Barton, John Smyth, Robert Ogden, Cornelius Hatfield and 
Jacob Dehart, Esq'rs, or any two of them, residing in the Place where the 
respective Barracks are hereby ordered to be built shall forthwith purchase a 
suitable piece of Ground not exceeding one Acre, for erecting the same and 
take the Advice and Directions of the Members of the House of Representa- 
tives of the City or County where the said Barracks are to be built, respecting 
the Quantity and Situation of the Ground so to be purchased ; And to the 
end, the said Ground and building may be effectually secured to the Use of 
.this Province. 

Be it enacted by the Authority aforesaid that the Honourable Andrew 
Johnson, James Hude, and Richard Salter, Esq's and Robert Lawrence, 
Charles Read, William Morris, John Johnson, Ebenezer Miller, and Richard 
Smith of Burlington be and they are hereby appointed Trustees for the 
Colony of New Jer.sey in who.se names the respective Deeds of the said 
Grounds, shall be taken, to them, and the survivors and .survivor of them and 
the Heirs of the Survivors of them forever ; yet nevertheless to the uses, in- 
tents and purposes hereinafter specified, and to no other use, intent or purpose 
whatsoever; that is to say, to and for the use of Barracks for the Quarter- 



10 The Old Barracks at Trenton, New Jersey. 

ing of Soldiers whenever they may be sent by proper Authority to reside in 
any cf the places aforesaid; And the said Ground and Barracks when built 
shall be under the Care and Direction of the two principal Magistrates and 
the two Freeholders chosen for the City or Town where they are respectively 
built, and they may at their discretion, occupy the same or suffer the same to 
be occupied at all Times hereafter, when no Soldiers are there ; so always that 
proper care be taken to keep them from Damage as much as may be and to 
have them at all Times free for the use of the Soldiers as aforesaid. Provided 
Always, and it is hereby declared to be the true Intent and Meaning of these 
presents, that no part of the said Grounds shall be converted into or made use 
of for erecting any sort of a building thereon besides Barracks as aforesaid ; 
with the necessary Fencing with which the said Grounds so to be purchased 
shall be enclosed and remain for the uses aforesaid forever. 

And be it enacted by the Authority aforesaid that receipts from the said 
Hugh Hartshorn, Thomaa Scattergood, William Skeels, John Allen. Joseph 
Yard, Theophilns Severns, Reuben Runion, Henry Fisher, Joseph Mount, 
Samuel Nevill, Thomas Barton, John Smyth, Robert Ogden, Cornelius Hat- 
field and Jacob Dehart, Esqr's or any two of them or orders drawn by the 
said Hugh Hartshorn, Thomas Scattergood, William Skeels, John Allen, 
Joseph Yard, Theoplulus Severns, Reuben Runion, Henry Fisher, Joseph 
Mount, Samuel Nevill, Thomas Barton, John Smyth, Robert Ogden, Cornelius 
Hatfield and Jacob Dehart, Esqr's ; or any two of them, with a receipt thereon, 
when produced by the Treasurer's of this Colony or either of them to the Gen- 
eral Assembly, shall discharge them the said Treasurer's or either of them, 
their Heirs, Executors and Administrators of and from any Money, they may 
pay in consequence thereof. 

Provided always, that the said Hugh Hartshorn, Thomas Scattergood, 
William Skeels, John Allen, Joseph Yard, Theophilus Severns, Reuben 
Runion, Henry Fisher, Joseph Mount, Samuel Nevill, Thomas Barton, John 
Smyth, Robert Ogden, Cornelius Hatfield, and Jacob DeHart, Esqrs , or any 
two of them, shall not have Power to draw for any Sum exceeding Fourteen 
Hundred Pounds for the use of the Barrack or Barracks to be built at any one 
of the Places aforesaid. 

And be it enacted by the Authority afore-aid, that it shall and may be law- 
ful for the Persons appointed to build the Barracks as aforesaid to retain in 
their hands Five per cent as Commissions for their trouble. 

Soon after the passage of the law a lot was purchased of 
Mrs. Sarah Chubb, at a place on the west end of Front 
Street, where the River Road entered Trenton. The pur- 
chase money was forty pounds, and the lot contained about 
one acre. Joseph Peace, the father of Mrs. Chubb, purchased 
this lot in a tract of thirty-six acres, from James Trent, son 



The Old Barracks at Trenton, New Jersey. 11 

of William Trent, March 10, 1732, for one hundred and 
seventy pounds, silver money. 



o 

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Alley. 



River Road. 



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12 The Old Barracks at Trenton, New Jersey. 

The erection of barracks commenced on the 31st day of 
May, 1758, and it was pushed on so rapidly that we find 
that more than one half the building was filled with soldiers 
on the sixth of November following. It was, however, not 
fully completed until March, 1759, as appears by an inscrip- 
tion on the building. Joseph Yard had charge of the erec- 
tion of the walls of the barracks and of procuring the fur- 
niture therefor. For some time afterward he had the 
supervision of them, attended to the repairs and to the 
expenses of quartering the soldiers. His bills show a most 
plentiful supply of rum furnished to the workmen engaged 
on the building. On the 2d day of October, 1759, we find 
the barracks was occupied by a Regiment of Highlanders, 
whose peculiar dress created much interest among the 
people of the town. In December, 1759, a small addition 
was built to the barracks for the use exclusively of the 
officers in charge of the English troops. The building was 
originally designed to hold about three hundred men, but 
we find at one time four hundred and fifty men quartered 
therein. The first appropriation of twenty-six hundred 
pounds had to be supplemented by other moneys from time 
to time, and it is quite evident that the barracks cost at 
least five hundred pounds more before it was finished. It 
was built entirely of stone, undressed, two stories in height, 
the main building 130 feet in length and 18| feet in width, 
with two wings, each 58 feet in length at either end thereof, 
and projecting at right angles from the front of the bar- 
racks. For several years after the barracks were finished 
they were constantly filled with troops. During the year 
1765, peace having been fully established with France, the 
buildings seem to have been unoccupied, and the attention 
of the General Assembly was called to the fact in May of 



The Old Barracks at Trenton, New Jersey. 13 

that year, and they ordered that the perishable articles 
therein should be sold, that the building should be simply 
kept in repair, and, if possible, rented. William Clayton 
and Abraham Hunt were appointed commissioners to carry 
out the orders of the Legislature of the Province. They 
immediately sold all the furniture in the barracks, the 
" two subsiartial ladders and the twenty leather bucketts 
excepted." The building and premises were rented, a 
clause in the lease requiring them to be given up at any time 
on suitable notice from the Governor of the (]!olony, that 
they were needed for the use of British soldiers. The com- 
missioners received five per cent, from all moneys which 
accrued in carrying out the law. From the year 1766 to 
the breaking out of the Revolutionary War, Abraham 
Hunt and Alexander Chambers, the two leading merchants 
in the town, had charge of the building and were called 
Barrack-Masters, and received ten pounds per annum for 
their services in looking after the property. It may be 
noted that in less than a year after the sale was made of 
the furniture of the barracks, so many of the King's Troops 
were passing through and quartering in the Colony, that 
the General Assembly were compelled again to refit the 
building, give up the rents and purchase "bedding, blankets, 
firewood and other necessaries," not to exceed one hundred 
pounds in value. 

During the Revolutionary War the barracks was occu- 
pied at various times by companies of British troops, the 
Hessian mercenaries and recruits for the American Army 
en route to join their command. For the two weeks prior 
to the battle of Trenton a party of Englisli Dragoons and 
some German Yagers occupied the building, with a large 
number of Tory refugees from Monmouth and Burlington 



14 The Old Barracks at Trenton, New Jersey. 

Counties, who were trying to place themselves under the 
protection of the arms of the English King. A week after 
the battle the building was filled with American militia, 
and so continued until the end of the war as a place for 
quartering the soldiers of either array. 

For three years after the war the barracks remained in dis- 
use. On the first day of June, 1786, the General Assembly 
of the State, sitting at New Brunswick, directed the Com- 
missioners of this State to sell all the barracks and all the 
lands attached and turn the proceeds into the Treasury. 
Moore Furman, of Trenton, one of the Commissioners for 
the State, sold the property February 18, 1787, to William 
Ogden and William Patterson for three thousand two hun- 
dred and sixty pounds. 

In the year 1813 Front street was opened westward one 
block, and forty feet of the building was taken down, and 
this detached the north wing of the barracks from the main 
building. This north wing, on the north side of Front, 
was turned into three residences. The porches on the main 
building were taken down, and in the year 1855 it was 
occupied by the Widows' and Single Women's Home So- 
ciety. 

Built in the middle of the eighteenth century, when the 
fear of the Indian knife and tomahawk raised a great alarm 
among the good people of King George the Second, its halls 
filled twenty years later with the tramp of the patriot sol- 
dier who had enlisted to deliver his country from the rule 
of a foreign power, or noisy with the revels of the hireling 
grenadier who for gold was trying to subjugate a people 
determined to be fiee, it is to-da}^, in this year of peace, the 
quiet retreat of the aged, worn with the toils and trials of 
three score years and ten. 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 



014 209 305 4 I 



